Gluten-free grain-conentrate subsitute for fermented wheat germ food product and method of preparation

ABSTRACT

A gluten-free grain concentrate (GFGC) food product and stepwise process to prepare GFGC from the treatment of raw unground wheat germ, is provided resulting in a product having at least three active components including (a) 1% to 3% 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; (b) 2% to 4% monomethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone; and (c) 0.5% to 1.5% monomethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; and at least one inactive component: 2,6 dimethyl benzoquinone.

CROSS-REFERENCE(S)

This is a continuation-in-part application (CIP), claiming the benefitof priority to CIP application Ser. No. 15/731,039 filed Apr. 10, 2017(10 Apr. 2017), which in turn claims priority to CIP Ser. No. 14/545,753filed Jun. 15, 2015 (15 Jun. 2015), claiming priority to CIP Ser. No.14/545,361 filed Apr. 27, 2015 (27 Apr. 2015), claiming priority to CIPSer. No. 13/998,808 filed Dec. 9, 2013 (9 Dec. 2013), and claimingpriority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/854,336 filedApr. 22, 2013 (22 Apr. 2013).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to the field of foods made from wheat anda method of making a gluten-free wheat-based food product. Moreparticularly, the present invention discloses a food product with atleast three active components including (a)2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; (b) monomethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone; and(c) monomethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone. More particularly, the presentinvention discloses said active components in the following, approximateproportions: (a) 1% to 3%, (b) 2% to 4%, and (c) 0.5% to 1.5%; saidproportions are a percentage of the total weight of the compound whichcomposes the present invention. The disclosed process results in thedeactivation of at least one ingredient reported to be an activecomponent of grain concentrate: 2,6 dimethyl benzoquinone.

The compound is derived from wheat which is subjected to yeastfermentation, and becomes a medicine which is a source of biologicallyactive substances. Most particularly, the present invention uses asolvent extraction, which is also known as partitioning fermented wheatgerm extract method to produce a fermented wheat germ food product.

The present invention differs from its closest prior art, a publicationby Mate Hidvégi described below, even after the Hidvégi fraction wasstripped of gluten by ethyl acetate extraction. A comparison betweenFIG. 2 (chromatogram of Hidvégi 250 Product after treatment with ethylacetate to remove gluten) and FIG. 3 (the product of the presentinvention) are evidence of chemical differences between the twoproducts. Similarly, a comparison between FIG. 4(A) (chromatogram of theHidvégi 250 Product prior to gluten removal) and FIG. 4(B) (the productof the present invention) are evidence of chemical differences betweenthe two products. Additionally, FIG. 1 demonstrates that the productproduced by the present invention differs from the Hidvégi A250 Productin every quantifiable, physical characteristic other than taste:including gluten content, color, density, pH, appearance, and odor. Moreparticularly, the present invention differs from Hidvégi because Hidvégidiscloses the presence of an activated form of 2,6 dimethylbenzoquinone, whereas the present invention discloses a method fordeactivating 2,6 dimethyl benzoquinone.

General Prior Art

Gluten is a protein composite which may be found in foods processed fromwheat. Gluten constitutes more than 80% of the protein contained inwheat. About one percent of the people in developed nations have someintolerance to gluten, some of which can be severe enough to belife-threatening.

A gluten-free diet is medically accepted treatment for celiac disease,an autoimmune digestive ailment. Some people suffer from glutenintolerance, which is different from celiac in that it is not an immunemediated response. More commonplace is gluten sensitivity, which affectsnearly 20 million people in the United States and is essentially a lesssevere form of gluten intolerance,

In accordance with Section 206 of the Food Allergen Labeling andConsumer Protection Act of 2004, Title Il of Pulp. 108-282, 118 Stat.891, enacted Aug. 2, 2004 and 72 F.R. 2795-2817 the term gluten free isregulated to mean food products to those with less than 20 parts permillion of gluten.

Gluten intolerance is an organism's inability to absorb gluten, aprotein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. Gliadins and glutenins arethe two main components of the gluten fraction of the wheat seed. Theproduction of anti-gliadin antibodies by an intolerant individual afterthe consumption of food containing gluten flattens out or damages theVilli of the small intestine, responsible for the absorption ofnutrients, vitamins and trace elements. The result is that foodparticles leak into the bloodstream, and the body's natural defensesystem sees these particles as “foreign invaders.” The problem becomestwo-fold: the body cannot absorb important nutrients and the body seemsto attack itself at the same time. In humans, the intolerance manifestsin various forms in different individuals, including celiac disease,nonceliac gluten intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, andwheat allergy. The prevalence of disease associated gluten sensitivityhas increased over the past 50 years and affects approximately 1% of thepopulation [Rubio-Tapia et al. 2009; Fasano et al. 2003; Mustalahti etal. 2010].

Celiac disease is a type of more commonly manifested form of glutenintolerance. The symptoms and manifestations of celiac disease differ,very often, from case to case and depending on age of the affectedindividuals. Infants present gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea,often, bulky and particularly fetid defecation and immobility or loss ofweight.

Children, besides the symptoms described above, may present nausea,vomiting, anorexia, anemia, dermatitis and mouth aphtha. They maypresent irritability as well. Adults, at the initial stage of thedisease present a general feeling of sickness and fatigue, even whengastrointestinal disturbances are limited. Further, because of thelimited absorption of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients, anemia,osteopenia, as well as neural and hormonal disorders are noted. Detailsabout celiac disease can be found Fasano et al., 2003, “Prevalence ofCeliac Disease in At-Risk and Not-At-Risk Groups in the United States: ALarge Multicenter Study,” Arch Intern Med. 163:286-292; Maki et al.,2003, “Prevalence of Celiac Disease among Children in Finland,” The NewEngland Journal of Medicine, 348:2517-2524; Sollid et al., 1989,“Evidence for a primary association of celiac disease to a particularHLA-DQ alpha/beta heterodimer,” The Journal of Experimental Medicine,169(1): 345; Suanderline 1994, “Celiac Disease: a Review,”Gastroenterology Nursing 17(3), 100-105; and Reifa and Lerner, 2004,“Tissue transglutaminase—the Key Player in Celiac Disease: a Review,”Autoimmunity Reviews, 3(1):40-45; each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

Although gluten intolerance-related diseases, such as celiac disease,are serious and often chronic diseases, they can be treated quiteeffectively, without medication or medical intervention. It isrecommended amongst other things in the treatment of celiac disease,nonceliac gluten intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, andwheat allergy. The treatment is a strict life-long gluten-free diet,which results in the restoration of the small intestine wall in a normalcondition and the control of the disease. Special attention should begiven even to least gluten quantities because the degree of the lesioncaused to the small intestine and the time of restoration aredisproportional. This means eliminating virtually all foods made fromthese grains (e. g., food starch when it is prepared from wheat, andmalt when it comes from barley). The gluten-free diet is a lifetimerequirement. As such, a need exists for new gluten-free products.

Celiac disease (also known as gluten enteropathy or celiac sprue) is adisease in which inflammatory responses to the ingestion of glutendamage the proximal small intestinal mucosa and result in malabsorptionof most nutrients. Gluten is hypothesized to stimulate an inappropriateT cell-mediated immune response in the intestinal submucosa thatdestroys mucosal enterocytes. (L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J. McPhee, and M.A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment:585-587). Characteristic symptoms of celiac disease include diarrhea,weight loss, abdominal distention, weakness, muscle wasting, growthretardation, and malnutrition. (L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J. McPhee, and M.A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment:585-587). Other symptoms that may occur even in the absence of the abovesymptoms, include fatigue, short statute, osteoporosis, dental enamelhypoplasia, and iron deficiency anemia. (L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J.McPhee, and M. A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis &Treatment: 585-587). Approximately 10% of celiac disease patients sufferneurological complications including ataxia and peripheral neuropathy.R. L. Chin, H. W. Sander, T. H. Brannagan, P. H. Green, A. P. Hays, A.Alaedini, N. Latov (2003), Celiac Neuropathy, Neurology, 60(10):1581-1585). In addition, a cutaneous variant of celiac disease,dermatitis herpetiformis, exists. In this manifestation, patients sufferfrom a skin rash of pruritic papulovesicles over the extensor surfacesof the extremities, trunk, scalp, and neck. (L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J.McPhee, and M. A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis &Treatment: 585-587).

The prevalence of celiac disease in the United States is estimated to beI: 150 (M. Michael (2003), Recognizing and managing celiac disease inprimary care, J. Am. Acad. Nurse Pract., 15(3): 108-114.), althoughwhites of Northern European ancestry are afflicted at a higher rate thanare those with African and Asian ancestry. (L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J.McPhee, and M. A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis &Treatment: 585-587).

To date, no medical treatment exists to eliminate the physiologicalresponse and consequent damage to intestinal mucosa following gluteningestion. Thus, gluten sensitivities cannot be cured. Elimination ofall gluten from the diet is essential. L. M. Tierney, Jr., S. J. McPhee,and M. A. Papadakis, eds. (2003), Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment:585-587). Thus, the only treatment available is compliance with alife-long gluten-free diet, which alleviates the symptoms of the diseaseand allows the intestinal mucosa to heal. (A. S. Abdulkarim and J. A.Murray (2003), The diagnosis of coeliac disease, Aliment. Pharmacol.Ther., 17(8): 987-95). Non-compliance with a gluten-free diet can resultin recurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms, neuropathic symptoms, and/orother potentially life-threatening consequences.

Fermented Wheat Germ Extracts

The present invention allows the production of a gluten-free grainconcentrate (GFGC), a substance suitable for use in foods, dietarysupplements or medicaments. GFGC is more concentrated and easier toproduce than incorporated in existing fermented wheat germ extract(FWGE), and providing a preferable substitute or alternative.

FWGE is made in several ways and said ways are described in previouspatents. Research exists suggesting that FWGE supplements haveanti-cancer and other medicinal benefits.

Analysis shows that FWGE is a polymolecular compound composed ofthousands of molecules, and it can be shown that most of the materialthat makes up FWGE, and the majority of chemical entities do notcontribute to anti-cancer effects. Several technologies can isolatefractions which appear to account for all of the anti-cancer benefits ofFWGE, and separate out the non-active constituents.

The present invention discloses the simplest method with the leastcomplicated and fewest number of steps, utilizing inexpensivetechnologies approved for use in the manufacture of food to create asubstantially more concentrated, potent extract, with the highestconcentration of active, anti-cancer constituents and least inactiveconstituents, compared with extracts which are made through existingtechnologies.

*Distinction from 2013 Hidvégi Patent

In particular, the first FWGE food supplement was taught by U.S. Pat.No. 8,563,050 B2 (Hidvégi) (the '050 patent). Currently, the mostadvanced FWGE food supplement, commonly known as A250. A250 requires theexpensive freeze-dried FWGE as a starting point, and also requiresmultiple steps, including expensive solid-phase extraction technology.A250 is about 30 times more concentrated than FWGE made under the '050patent. The method of the present invention produces GFGC, a foodsupplement which is about 70 times more concentrated than FWGE made byteaching of the '050 patent, and does so with fewer and less expensivesteps.

Distinction from '474 Patent

Compared with FWGE food supplements taught by the '050 patent, and byU.S. Pat. No. 6,355,474 to Hidvégi et al. (the '474 patent), GFGC is asubstance which is gluten free, dramatically more concentrated, and maybe delivered in an equivalently bioactive dosage of approximately 80 to500 mg formulated in accordance with the product of the presentinvention. By comparison, the conventional daily dose of FWGE is 5,500mg per day.

The present invention discloses a product which tastes slightly sweet,and pleasant. The GFGC produced by the method of this disclosure thusovercomes the need for flavoring and additives to make existing FWGEfood supplements palatable.

GFGC, according to the present invention, is stable at temperatureslikely to be encountered during shipment via land and air-based deliveryservices, such as United Parcel Service (UPS) during warm-weatherperiods. Existing FWGE food supplements require the use of ice packs tomaintain product integrity when the temperature of packages is liable toexceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Existing FWGE food supplements are extremely hygroscopic, so that theyabsorb moisture readily. Absorption of moisture may spoil the product orrequire expensive handling and packaging to prevent said spoilage. TheGFGC of the present invention is not hygroscopic, thus surmounting theshortcomings of the existing FWGE food supplements' hygroscopicpropensities.

Due to the high necessary dosage, the unpleasant taste, hygroscopic andheat liable nature of existing FWGE substances, it has not been possibleto blend them with other ingredients in a cost-effective manner to makebeverages, health bars or fortified foods. The present inventiondiscloses a method producing a GFGC product which overcomes thesedifficulties and allows the extract to be incorporated into beverages,bars and other foods. [00022] The methods of producing existing FWGEfood supplements taught in the prior art differ from the method ofproducing GFGC food supplements as disclosed by the present invention.The prior art also teaches a ten to twenty-four-hour fermentation time,whereas GFGC according to the present invention optimally ferments ineight hours. In particular, the '474 patent includes several claims thatdo not apply to the present invention. Claim 1 of the '474 patentdiffers from the disclosure of the present invention because the presentinvention neither uses ground wheat germ nor does it boil off water anddry the fermented liquid.

Additionally, claim 2 of the '474 patent differs from the presentinvention in that the fermentation mixture is not subject to “continuousaerating.” Claim 3 of the '474 patent differs from the present inventionbecause the present invention does not use maltodextrin. Claim 4 of the'474 patent differs from the present invention because the presentinvention does not use auxiliary drying materials. Claim 5 of the '474patent differs in that the present invention does not use boiling. Claim6 of the '474 patent differs from GFGC, because the present inventiondoes not use drying.

The '050 patent differs from the present invention in that the presentinvention does not add sweeteners or flavors, surfactants, auxiliarymaterials, does not lyophilize (see '050 patent, claim 1), nor does itadd surface stabilizing, dispersing or emulsifying agents ('050 patent,claim 2); nor adds the surfactants listed ('050 patent, claim 3); noradds lecithin ('050 patent, claim 4); nor does it add sweeteners orflavors ('050 patent, claims 5, 6 and 7).

The dose forms disclosed by '050 patent, claim 8, do not teach theliquid filled capsule form disclosed by the present invention. Thecurrent invention is favorably disposed to the use of liquid-filledcapsules, suspensions and syrups as delivery mechanisms.

Claim 9 of the '050 patent teaches the use of a strain of Saccharomycescerevisiae (baker's yeast). The present invention discloses the use ofother organisms also, particularly, the bacteria used in sourdoughbread.

Other Related Publications

The teaching associated with WO2010100515 (Hidvégi et al.) includes areference to a biologically active fraction obtained from processedwheat germ, which fraction is similar to the biologically activefraction disclosed in the present invention. However, the presentinvention treats the fraction differently from WO2010100515. Inparticular, in WO2010100515 the product is obtained from A2, E, ES andL, whereas the UV chromatogram shows that the present invention'sproducts differ from WO2010100515's A2, E, ES and L. While both thepresent invention and WO2010100515 use ethyl acetate as a solvent fortheir respective methods, WO2010100515 uses gel-filtration after theethyl acetate extraction, but GFGC does not require it.

Fermented wheat germ has been shown to have beneficial properties. Moreparticularly, a printed publication, by Yusuf, Oluwatosin K. and JustineT. Ekanem, “Studies of phytochemical constituents and anti-trypanosomalproperties of fermented wheat germ and garlic bulbs extract onTrypanosoma brucei—infected rats.” Journal of Medicinal Plants Research(4 Oct. 2010): 2016-2020 (hereinafter, “RI” or “Yusur’). Fermented wheatgerm as used in RI is not gluten free. In fact, page 2016 of RI states“Fermented wheat germ Extract called avemer [sic] was chosen for thiswork because it has been reported to.’. “Avemer” is a misspelling ofAvemar (for example see AVEMAR Miss Spelling Domains sitehttp://www.ipgeni.com/missspell/avemar (last visited 25 Apr. 2015).

According to the manufacture of Avemar, it “[c]ontains gluten” (seehttp://www.avemar.com.au/avemarinfo.news (last visited 25 Apr. 2015).The present invention does not contain gluten. In particular, the ruledefining that a gluten free product must contain less than 20 mg/kg (seehttps://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/08/05/2013-18813/foodlabeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-foods(last visited 25 Apr. 2015). The present disclosure is gluten free. Inparticular, it has been measured to contain less than 5 mg/kg gluten,whereas Avemar has been measured to contain 121,000 mg/kg gluten.

Food products containing gluten are significantly different fromgluten-free products. Some people are exceedingly sensitive to gluten,and must avoid gluten at all costs to avoid physical harm. Glutensensitivity occurs in people who are intolerant to gluten, a proteinfound in wheat, barley, oats and rye. When ingesting foods containinggluten, they will develop gastrointestinal disorders including diarrhea,nausea, vomiting, bloating, nervous disorders such as headaches andfatigue, and hormone-system maladies leading to anemia, vitamin Ddeficiency and osteoporosis.

A diagnosis of Celiac disease is made when sufferers ofgluten-sensitivity have measurable levels of antibodies to gliadin, aprotein in gluten. It is theorized that anti-gliadin antibodies damagethe Villi present in the small intestine (responsible for the absorptionof vitamins, trace minerals and nutrients), leading to malabsorption.Damage to Villi can also allow food particles to leak into thebloodstream, a phenomenon referred to as “leaky gut syndrome.” Theseparticles can provoke the production of other anti-bodies andinflammatory immune response. Over the last fifty years the prevalenceof disease associated gluten sensitivity has been increasing and affectsapproximately 1% of the population [Rubio-Tapia et al. 2009; Fasano etal. 2003; Mustalahti et al. 2010.]

Additional details about gluten sensitivity, Celiac and non-Celiacdisease can be found at Molina-Infante J, et al., 2015, “Systematicreview: noncoeliac gluten sensitivity” Aliment Pharmacol Ther.,(9):807-20, Tovoli F, et al., 2014,” Clinical and diagnostic aspects ofgluten related disorders,” World J Clin Cases, 16; 3(3):275-84, MansuetoP, et al., 2014 “Nonceliac gluten sensitivity: literature review,” J AmColl Nutr. 2014; 33(1):39-54, Fasano et al., 2003, “Prevalence of CeliacDisease in At-Risk and Not-At-Risk Groups in the United States: A LargeMulticenter Study,” Arch Intern Med. 163:286-292; Maki et al., 2003,“Prevalence of Celiac Disease among Children in Finland,” The NewEngland Journal of Medicine, 348:25172524; Sollid et al., 1989,“Evidence for a primary association of celiac disease to a particularHLA-DQ alpha/beta heterodimer,” The Journal of Experimental Medicine,169(1): 345; Suanderline 1994, “Celiac Disease: a Review,”Gastroenterology Nursing 17(3), 100-105; and Reifa and Lerner, 2004,“Tissue transglutaminase—the Key Player in Celiac Disease: a Review,”Autoimmunity Reviews, 3(1):40-45.

Diseases associated with gluten sensitivity are chronic and serious, andcan be treated effectively by eliminating gluten containing foods fromthe diet. Adopting a strict, life time gluten-free diet can result inrestoration of the small intestine cell wall and amelioration orreversal of other symptoms. The growing incidence of health problemsassociated with gluten ingestion, and the demonstrated success ofmaintaining a gluten-free diet in such patient, establishes the need fornew gluten-free products.

Turning to other differences between the reference RI the presentinvention, Yusuf discloses the use of powdered wheat germ, whereas thecurrent disclosure teaches the use of unground wheat germ. The presentinvention limits fermentation to eight hours or the product diminishesthe active ingredient. Yusuf ferments the RI product for six timeslonger (48 hours), a period which would render the present inventioninactive.

RI further discloses the extraction of paste as the product and discardsall else. The present invention discards the paste product and uses whatRI discards. As evidence, Yusuf discloses that RI users had to filterthe extract before the evaporation. Additionally, the fermentation brothused in the present invention contains different components of the wheatgerm than disclosed by RI. In particular, the present inventiondiscloses that the product contains only the water-soluble part of thewheat germ concentrate.

RI further discloses a method which does not include a requirement forseparation of the phases, which is a requirement of the presentinvention. The present invention teaches phase separation viacentrifuge. Thus, the present invention teaches liquid-liquidextraction, whereas RI discloses an organic solvent extraction of thesolids of the fermentation.

The Present Invention as a Food

Consequently, the present invention is more effective at removinggluten, thereby making its benefits more widely available as a food forgluten-intolerant and gluten-sensitive populations. In sum, FWGE hasbeen shown to have many beneficial characteristics, including potentanticancer, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory, metabolic-regulatory,cardiovascular protective, and anti-aging properties. FWGE impairscritical aspects of the transformed phenotype, including aerobicglycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and ribonucleotide reductase.It displays significant antiproliferative effects and triggers tumorcell death through apoptosis. Clinical data reveal significant benefitsto patients from treatment with FWGE, including in combination withexisting cancer therapies.

However, an existing drawback of FWGE is that it contains lectins (WGA,wheat germ agglutinin). Lectins are glycoproteins that bind tocarbohydrates found in cell membranes damaging their function, leadingto cell death. Lectin is poorly absorbed in the gut and is not toxicwhen ingested, but it causes agglutination of red blood cells once itreaches the blood stream in higher than nanomolar concentration, and isexpected to be toxic if administered by injection, intravenously,intravenous and by methods that bypasses the gut. Therefore, FWGEcontaining lectins is expected to be toxic if administered by methodsthat come in contact with the blood.

It was observed that the process of making a gluten-freegrain-concentrate for fermented wheat germ food product unexpectedlyresulted in the removal of lectin. Therefore, the product produced bythe method of this invention overcomes the drawbacks of grainconcentrate substitute wheat germ food products.

Distinction from 2012 Hidvégi Publication and Related A250 Product

The present invention has been compared to a fermented wheat germconcentrate taught by Mate Hidvégi in U.S. Pat. Publ. no. 2012/0164132A1 (the “A250 Disclosure), the resulting product is referred tohereafter as “Hidvégi A250 product”. However, the present inventionproduces a compound which is both physically and chemically distinctfrom the Hidvégi A250 product.

The present invention uses the same starting material as the HidvégiA250 Disclosure, which is fermented wheat germ but said startingmaterial is processed differently. As a result, the present inventiondoes not contain gluten. The Hidvégi A250 Disclosure does not have anydata about gluten content. However, tests of the Hidvégi A250 Product, afermented wheat germ concentrate, show it does contain gluten. (See FIG.1, first column.)

The presence (or conversely the absence) of gluten may result inmarkedly difference biological behavior. The present invention is WGAfree (Wheat germ agglutinin—a protein that protects the wheat frominsects). (See FIG. 1, first column.) Agglutinin and Gluten are notsimilar, and also have different biological effects.

The Hidvégi A250 Disclosure teaches how to produce the Hidvégi A25Product, a material which contains glycosides of different flavonoids,while these components are completely missing from the gluten freeproduct of the present invention.

The physical and chemical differences between the Hidvégi A250 Product,a material produced in accordance with the Hidvégi A250 Disclosure, andthe material produced as a result of the present invention is due to thedifferent processes taught by the two patents.

The method taught in the Hidvégi A250 Disclosure requires freeze-driedpowder as starting material. This process denatures wheat proteins inmany of the more than 20,000 types of proteins in the hexaploid speciesof plant of which wheat is one. The present invention does not employfreeze-drying, thus no protein denaturing. The freeze-drying requirementdisclosed by Hidvégi prevents it from being used for, thus teaches awayfrom using either the unconcentrated or concentrated broth as requiredby the present invention.

It has been suggested that if the Hidvégi A250 Disclosure teaches how toproduce the Hidvégi A250 Product, a material that only differs from thepresent invention in that the Hidvégi A250 Disclosure teaches how toproduce a material with gluten and the present invention does not.Consequently, to produce the product taught by the present invention,the suggestion is that one need only apply well known gluten removaltechniques to the Hidvégi A250 Product, however this is not correct(compare FIG. 2 which is a chromatogram of the product of Hidvégi A250Product after a well know gluten removal techniques was apply to theHidvégi A250 Product with FIG. 3 a chromatogram of the product of thecurrent invention).

The use of methanol and chloroform is one highly efficient glutenremoval techniques. However, methanol is a highly toxic solvent, andchloroform is a carcinogen(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637645/) The use ofmethanol is very limited in food production.

A similar effective removal technique is the use of diethyl ether. Butdiethyl ether is an extremely flammable hazardous solvent.

Ethyl acetate is a much safer solvent which is used for gluten removal,so the Ethyl acetate method is used in industrial scale production forgluten removal. Ethyl acetate is allowed to be used in drug production.

Thus, it has been suggested that if the Hidvégi A250 Product weretreated with an ethyl acetate gluten removal technique, the result wouldbe similar to or perhaps identical to the product resulting from thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a table distinguishing the product produced by the presentinvention from the Hidvégi A250 Product with gluten and without gluten.The present invention has particular quantifiable, physicalcharacteristics including gluten content, color, density, pH,appearance, odor and taste. Said characteristics are enumerated on lines1 and 2 of FIG. 1. Line 1 details the present invention with inertelements. Line 2 details the present invention with inert elementsremoved.

The present invention has quantifiable chemical characteristics. FIG. 3displays said characteristics of the present invention in the form of achromatogram.

Returning to FIG. 1, the Hidvégi A250 Product also has particularquantifiable, physical characteristics including gluten content, color,density, pH, appearance, odor and taste. Said characteristics appear onLine 3 of FIG. 1. Line 4 depicts these characteristics following removalof gluten from the Hidvégi A250 Product.

The Hidvégi A250 Product has quantifiable chemical characteristics. FIG.4 compares the chemical characteristics of the Hidvégi A250 Product;4(A) is a chromatogram depicting the Hidvégi A250 Product before thegluten is removed; 4B is the product of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a chromatogram depicting the Hidvégi A250 Product dissolved indistilled water and the solution extracted with ethyl acetate to removegluten. The chromatogram of FIG. 5 overlays the two resultingsubtractions. The darker peaks or patterns evidence chemicalcharacteristics of the Hidvégi A250 Product. The lighter peaks evidencethe gluten free result after ethyl acetate extraction, and are the sameas shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the chromatogram shows the Hidvégi A250 Productafter treatment with ethyl acetate to remove gluten executed on the samemachinery as the FIG. 3 chromatogram of the product of the currentinvention.

In sum, a comparison between FIG. 2 (chromatogram of Hidvégi 250 Productafter treatment with ethyl acetate to remove gluten) and FIG. 3 (theproduct of the present invention) are evidence of chemical differencesbetween the two products. Similarly, a comparison between FIG. 4(A)(chromatogram of the Hidvégi 250 Product prior to gluten removal) andFIG. 4(B) (the product of the present invention) are evidence ofchemical differences between the two products.

Additionally, FIG. 1 demonstrates that the product produced by thepresent invention differs from the Hidvégi A250 Product in everyquantifiable, physical characteristic other than taste: including glutencontent, color, density, pH, appearance, and odor.

The Yusuf publication also teaches the use of ethyl acetate to removegluten from wheat germ products. The application of said Yusuf ethylacetate gluten removal technique to the material produced using theHidvégi A250 Disclosure produces a very different product than theproduct associated with the present invention. Evidence of saiddifference can be seen by comparing the chromatograms of the presentinvention with the chromatograms of Yusuf ethyl acetate gluten removaltechnique to Hidvégi A250 Product.

Row et al. (Biores. Technol. 2006. 97: 790-793) (the “Row publication”)also teaches the use of ethyl acetate to remove gluten from wheat germproducts. The application of said Row ethyl acetate gluten removaltechnique to the Hidvégi A250 Product also products a very differentproduct than the product associated with the present invention. Evidenceof said difference can be seen by comparing the chromatograms of thepresent invention with the chromatograms of Row ethyl acetate glutenremoval technique to the Hidvégi A250 Product.

While both Yusuf and Row teach the use of ethyl acetate to remove glutenfrom wheat germ products, they do not teach the use of ethyl acetateextraction to remove gluten from fermented wheat germ extract. The useof ethyl acetate extraction to remove gluten from fermented wheat germextract is not taught because it denatures some of the proteins infermented wheat germ extract.

The Hidvégi A250 Disclosure teaches how to produce a material but doesnot eliminate gluten from said material because to do so which denaturethe proteins which were identified as the active ingredient. Inparticular, the Hidvégi A250 Product was treated with the most commonmethod of removing gluten and the result was an inactive product. Inparticular, the regular way of making gluten free flour was used on theHidvégi A250 Product. More particularly, the regular way of makinggluten free flour, is to boil the suspension at high temperature anddissolve the starch with cold water. It was found that boiling theHidvégi A250 Product significantly reduces its activity. Thus, it may beconcluded that the method can't be used to eliminate or reduce thegluten from the Hidvégi A250 Product.

It was hypothesized that the extract described by Yusuf in 2010 issimilar to our gluten free extract made from the clarified fermentationbroth, and to test this hypothesis a High-Performance LiquidChromatography (HPLC) test was prepared to disprove that the twoextracts are different.

Yusuf's paper describes a method in which the wheat germ was fermentedwith Baker's yeast and the paste was extracted with ethyl acetate.Although the meaning of the paste is not properly described, based onthe properties of the different stages of FWGE production the mixture ofwheat germ, yeast and water is most likely the paste that is mentionedin the paper.

Sample Preparation:

Wheat germ was fermented with Baker's yeast overnight and the paste wasextracted with organic solvent in 1:1 ratio, as it was described byYusuf in 2010. The mixture was vortexed and the phases were separated at12,000 rpm. The upper phase was dried under vacuum at 50 C overnight.The sample was mostly oil, with reddish color (Sample PI). [000711 20 mgof the dried sample was dissolved in 500 uL of methanol, and 25 uL ofthe solution was further diluted with distilled water. The finalconcentration of the sample was 1 mg/mL, and 20 uL was injected into aHPLC system. The diode array detector was set to 200400 nm detectingrange, and the chromatogram was exported at 280 nm.

Sample 0217-1 was prepared by diluting 15 mg of FWGE-SCP in 300 uLMethanol. The sample was homogenized and suspended with vortex andsonication. The sample was separated from the excipients with centrifugeat 12,000 rpm. 200 uL of the supernatant was transferred into a separatePCR tube and was dried under vacuum at 50 C. The dry sample wasdissolved with DMSO and diluted with distilled water to 1 mL. 20 uL wasinjected into a HPLC system. The diode array detector was set to 200-400nm detecting range, and the chromatograms were exported at 280 nm.

Results

Both of the samples were injected in the same concentration into theHPLC system. The chromatograms appear to be very different. While Sample0217-1 has many UV active components between 2 min and 16 min retention,the paste extract has only some UV active components, and mostly after16 min. (FIG. 4).

Conclusion

Extracting the very crude paste results in a much more complex compound.The presence of yeast cells and especially the different lipidcomponents of wheat germ in the unprocessed paste significantly changesthe composition of the final product, reducing the abundance of the UVactive components of the extract.

The test failed to disprove that the two extracts are different, so thatthe claim that FWGE-SCP is different from the extract published by Yusufet al. in 2010, is still presumed to be correct.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a gluten-free, fermented wheat germ foodproduct and method of preparation necessary to make said fermented wheatgerm food product. Disclosed is a product with at least three activecomponents including (a) 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; (b)monomethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone; and (c) monomethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone. Moreparticularly, the present invention discloses said active components inthe following approximate proportions: (a) 1% to 3%, (b) 2% to 4%, and(c) 0.5% to 1.5%; said proportions being a percentage of the totalweight of the compound which composes the present invention.

As a preliminary matter for understanding the novelty of the presentinvention, it is noted that the prior art for the removal of gluten fromwheat germ-extract concentrate discloses the mixing of ethyl acetate andthe wheat-germ concentrate. Said mixture has a shortcoming due to theformation of an emulation. Said emulsion is composed of water, ethylacetate and fat. The fat derives from wheat germ and yeast. Saidemulsion is durable, which means that it will not separate naturally,nor by application of conventional applications of pressure, temperatureor other physical processes such as mixing. The durability of theemulsion prevents the recovery of ethyl acetate, resulting in amayonnaise-like consistency. The emulsion contains water, which is apollutant to the gluten-removal process because said water containsproteins from the wheat. It is the protein that contains gluten.

The present invention overcomes said shortcomings by a specific processwhich involves distinct applications of nonobvious applications of aseries of physical processes for set durations in a specific order. Thepresent invention discloses combining ethyl acetate and broth veryslowly (approximately at a rate of 17 gallons per hour), over thedisclosed time period(s) of not less than 24 hours in the preferredmethod. Said rate of 17 gallons/hour combined with the continuous mixingand specified heat ameliorates the emulsion difficulties incurred in theprior art. Said time period is added to up to a 24-hour fermentation,and up to 24-hour drying process, under specified conditions. Thus, thepreferred method involves approximately 72 hours, assuming continuousproduction from fermentation.

Further, the specific, novel process comprises combining vacuum, drying,and temperature control. Said process results in a red, thick liquid,with an acidic odor, and no taste. Said thick liquid has a density of1.07 gm/cm³. Most importantly, this specific process results in a trulygluten-free product, by which it is meant that the gluten content is0.00 ppm, rather than less than 20 mg/kg, which is the Food and DrugAdministration's definition of “gluten free.”

The present invention's process of iteratively exposing the materials toheating and mechanical manipulation, appears to result in thedeactivation of the 2,6 dimethyl benzoquinone component. The precisemechanism by which this occurs is uncertain.

The basis for the disclosure that 2-6 methoxy substituted benzoquinonesis not an active component of the present invention is vivo experiments.In particular, when the 2-6 methoxy substituted benzoquinones theactivity level of the present invention remained unchanged. Whereas,when any of a b c were removed the activity level of the presentinvention decreased.

It should also be noted there a difference in granularity between thepresent invention and an alternative method of producing a related foodpatent. Said material granularity is a measure of the conglomeration ofdiscrete solid, macroscopic element of a compound. Because the presentinvention is more granular than the food related patent, the presentinvention has a smaller particle size, which makes them more cohesiveand more easily and faster to suspended in a liquid.

The product of this invention is a food can be formulated in tocapsules, tablets, granules, sachets, suspensions, emulsions, sprays,suppositories, ointments, or patches with the addition of auxiliarymaterials and procedures commonly used in dietary supplement andpharmaceutical technology, and formulated in to fortified beverages,food bars and foods, with the addition of auxiliary materials andprocedures commonly used in beverage, health bar and food technology.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a table highlighting the quantifiable physical differences inthe characteristics between and among the present invention, the HidvégiA250 Product, and the Hidvégi A250 Product treated with ethyl acetate toremove gluten.

FIG. 2 is a chromatogram of the Hidvégi A250 Product after treatmentwith ethyl acetate to remove gluten.

FIG. 3 is a chromatogram of the product of the present invention.

FIG. 4 are chromatograms of the paste extract of the Hidvégi A250Product prior to removing gluten (graph “A”), and of the currentinvention (graph “B”), placed together in FIG. 4 to facilitatecomparison.

FIG. 5 is an overlay of two chromatograms of the Hidvégi 250 Productdissolved in distilled water before and after the solution was extractedwith ethyl acetate to remove gluten. The darker pattern is the Hidvégi250 Product containing gluten. The lighter pattern is the Hidvégi 250Product dissolved after gluten was removed with ethyl acetate; thelighter peaks correspond to the chromatograph of the Hidvégi 250 Productshown in FIG. 2.

It is helpful to note that a comparison between FIG. 2 (chromatogram ofHidvégi 250 Product after treatment with ethyl acetate to remove gluten)and FIG. 3 (the product of the present invention) are evidence ofchemical differences between the two products.

It is also helpful to note that the comparison between FIG. 4(A)(chromatogram of the Hidvégi 250 Product prior to gluten removal) andFIG. 4(B) (the product of the present invention) are evidence ofchemical differences between the two products.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

GFGC may be formulated by a number of different methods. The preferredmethod is a function of the form of the GFGC desired. In particular, theGFGC forms include a solid, a liquid and suspension of solid and liquid.The first method of preparing GFGC is described as follows:

The invention is the product of the following method used to make ourgluten free fermented wheat germ extract:

heating 400 gallons of filtered water to a temperature of 25 C;

adding said water to a vessel containing 100 lbs. of crumbled baker'syeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae);

mixing said yeast water mix constantly for 1 hour;

adding 1,000 lbs. of raw wheat germ to said yeast water mix;

mixing said wheat germ yeast water mix for 9 to 12 hours, allowingtemperature to raise to a temperature of not more than 46 C;

decanting said wheat germ yeast water mix through a liquid-solidseparator with a 100- to 150-micron screen into a stacked disccentrifuge;

operating said stacked disc centrifuge to remove at least 85% of theyeast from said low wheat germ liquid forming a low yeast liquid;

transferring said low yeast liquid to a plate and frame filtrationdevice with 1 to 3-micron filter plates;

operating said plate and frame filtration device to produce clarifiedbroth no more than 7% dissolved solids;

transferring said broth to a vacuum evaporator;

operating said vacuum evaporator to remove water from said brothproducing a concentrated broth which has no less than 30% dissolvedsolids;

transferring said concentrated broth to a second centrifuge;

operating said second centrifuge to remove remaining suspended solidsforming a clarified broth;

transferring said clarified broth solid to a third vessel containingsufficient ethyl acetate to remove at least 99.9% of gluten from saidclarified broth forming an ethyl acetate liquid layer and a water layer;

decanting said ethyl acetate liquid layer from said third vessel into afourth vessel;

evaporating said ethyl acetate liquid in said forth vessel formingconcentrated ethyl acetate liquid which contain at least 6% solids;

mixing equal amounts of microcrystalline cellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in sufficient quantities forming a cellulose mix whichhas a volume of nine times the volume of said concentrated ethyl acetateliquid;

adding said cellulose mix to said concentrated ethyl acetate liquid insaid fourth vessel forming final mix;

pouring said final mix into a vacuum paddle dryer;

setting said vacuum paddle dryer to operate with a vacuum of 26.5 inchesto 27.5 inches of mercury, a temperature of 30 C-50 C and a 10-50 rpmdrum rotation speed;

operating said vacuum paddle dryer for up to 24 hours using said vacuum,heat and drum rotation speed setting forming stable dry powder.

It should be noted that the order of combining the clarified broth andethyl acetate is very important. If the clarified broth is added to theethyl acetate in accordance with the method, the process will proceed.However, if the ethyl acetate is poured into the clarified broth not inaccordance with the method, then a substance with a mayonnaise-likeappearance could form, rendering the result unusable.

An alternate method is to create GFGC broth by combining one partbaker's yeast, three parts of raw wheat germ and thirty-two parts water.

Mix slowly for eight to 18 hours at 30° C. to 40° C., decant andseparate wheat germ and yeast (or bacteria) from broth with acentrifuge.

Filter broth, first with a 5-micron filter or larger, and second with a0.2-micron filter.

Concentrate broth with a falling film evaporator or similar method to10% to 20% solids.

Standardize the pH of the broth at 2. In the preferred method andembodiment, the standardizing agent is phosphoric or hydrochloric acid.

Wash with a food grade volatile non-polar liquid. Ethyl acetate ispreferred.

Combine a volume of concentrated broth with half as much ethyl acetate,mix and separate with centrifuge, will result in “Upper Layer” (cleardark reddish, ethyl acetate), a thin “Solid Layer” (light brown),“Bottom Layer (clear, dark brown, water), and pellet.

Optionally, instead of producing a solvent-free state, after removingapproximately between 90% and 95% of ethyl acetate—a mixture of not lessthan 80% ethanol and not more than 20% glycerol is added. The volume ofsaid mixture should be about with the volume of the remaining ethylacetate, then mixed thoroughly. With further distillation the rest ofthe ethyl acetate and ethanol is removed and leaving the glycerol. Thedistillate temperature should not exceed 50° C., preferably 40° C.

Recover Upper Layer (this has the active ingredient we are looking torecover) avoiding thin Solid Layer as much as possible, draw off BottomLayer (avoiding thin Solid Layer), add an amount of ethyl acetate equalto half the volume of the Bottom Layer.

Repeat separation. Repeat as necessary, but it is believed that 50% ofmaterial is recovered in the first wash, 30% is recovered in the secondwash, 15% in the third wash, and so on, so depending to the cost of theprocess, we may choose to stop this procedure at 2 or 5 washes.

Combine recovered “Upper Layer” portions from each wash, filter ifnecessary, to achieve clear liquid. Reduce (boil off) ethyl acetate andrecover, until a solvent free state is reached. A dark solid willremain, the active ingredient. To prevent the solid extract fromadhering to the bottom of the evaporation vessel, when approx. 80% ofthe solvent is removed, add methylcellulose and silica in equalproportion, in an amount equal to the estimate amount of recoveredsolid.

It is estimated that 1% of solids will be recovered from a volume ofconcentrated broth, with inert ingredients, preferably equal amounts ofmethylcellulose and silica. Additionally, immiscible liquids such aspropylene glycol, heptane or hexane, may be used in place of the solidmethylcellulose and silica agents. The recovered dark powder will be 2%of the concentrated broth. If a liquid final product is desired, as theethyl acetate is reduced, when approx. 80% is removed, add propyleneglycol, and continue boiling off ethyl acetate. Either of these GFGCproducts are known as GFGC-I

In a preferred method, the above steps are followed through instead ofadding a mixture of not less than 80% ethanol and not more than 20%glycerol. In lieu of ethanol/glycerol and subsequent steps, most but notall of the ethyl acetate is evaporated off with heat, leaving a residueof GFGC in solution with ethyl acetate, water and acids (GFGCS). Theacid or acids are those produced as a result of the fermentation processand may vary depending upon the initial wheat germ raw material. TheGFGC and GFGCS are present in a ratio of between approximately 1 and1:50. To prevent deactivation of GFGC the GFGCS should not be exposed totemperatures in excess of 50° C., and preferably 40° C.

The remaining GFGC solids must be estimated. The preferred estimatingmethod includes taking 10 grams of GFGCS and heating the sample to notmore than 50° C., and optimally 40° C., under a vacuum until only solidmaterial remains. Then the solid materials are weighed to determine aratio of GFGC to GFGCS. The weight of the GFGCS is multiplied by theratio to determine the mass of the GFGC. For example, if the GFGCSweighs 100 grams and a 10-gram sample was removed, and the 10-gramsample yielded one gram of GFGC, then the GFGC would be calculated bydividing the one-gram resultant by the 10-gram example and multiplyingit by the remaining 90 grams of GFGCS, giving 9 grams of GFGC. The9-gram result is used to calculate the volume of excipients in the nextstep.

The GFGCS is then combined with excipients in a ratio of approximately1:9 of the estimated solids to the excipient (GFGCSE). The foregoingexample of 9 grams of GFGC solids, would dictate 81 grams of excipients.The preferable excipients are hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (a/k/ahypromellose, HPMC) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) in a preferredratio of 6.1 HPMC to 4.0 MCC, or approximately 3:2.

Optionally, prior to combining the GFGCS with excipients, a salt,preferably a food-grade inorganic salt such as MgSO4 is added to theGFGCS in a proportion of up to of the mass of GFGCS to facilitatereduction of water in the solution. The mixture is stirred forapproximately five minutes and left to settle to the bottom. The liquidis decanted after two to eight hours. At this time the excipients areadded to the dewatered mixture resulting in a GFGCSE with reducedclumping of the excipients in order to produce a more uniform endproduct.

GFGCSE is then transferred to a paddle dryer. The paddle dryer is run,under a vacuum preferably starting at 24½ inches mercury, at producttemperatures of preferably 40° C., not higher than 50° C. During theapproximately 2 h treatment time the vacuum is gradually increased to29% inches of mercury. The product of this step is termed GFGCP.

The GFGCP is milled into a fine powder (GFGCFP) using a Hammer Mill orsimilar apparatus. The GFGCFP is transferred to a paddle dryer or afluid-bed dryer to remove trace ethyl acetate, residual water and acidsat temperatures of preferably 40° C. but not higher than 50° C., forapproximately two hours or until the moisture is reduced to 3% to watercontent by weight. Optionally this step may be accelerated by using warmnitrogen gas at no more than 50° C., or a partial vacuum of between 24%and 29% inches of mercury. The result of this step is GFGC-2.

Confirm the identity of GFGC with High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC). The liquid GFGC-I product which results from the first methodutilizing ethanol/glycerol solution, proportionately has the samebiological effect as the whole FWGE from which it was recovered, but theproduct of that method can be utilized at a dosage which can be as muchas 50 times lower than the dosage required for whole FWGE. The GFGC-2product resulting from the option method can be utilized at a dosage atleast 10 times lower than whole FWGE. The product from this method hasno unpleasant flavor, unlike whole FWGE, is not hygroscopic, like wholeFWGE, is not sensitive to degrade in temperatures above, like wholeFWGE, and can be administered orally, and by IV, unlike whole FWGE whichcan only be administered orally.

The GFGC resulting from said method of production has the followingcharacteristics, including:

-   -   1. Soluble in water,    -   2. Soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),    -   3. Soluble in ethyl acetate,    -   4. Essentially free of lectins,    -   5. Essentially free of flavonoids,    -   6. Characteristic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC,        sometimes referred to as “high pressure liquid chromatography)        signature,    -   7. Not hygroscopic,    -   8. Easily compounded with other compounds,    -   9. Chemically stable from 0° C. to 50° C. (for long shelf life).

For laboratory purposes, the following procedure is the preferredembodiment of GFGC.

In an opened vessel add 75-150 grams of unground wheat germ to 700-800milliliters of filtered water. Within an hour add 15-30 grams ofSaccharomyces cerevisae—commonly known as baker's yeast or,alternatively, a sourdough yeast such as Saccharomyces exiguous,Kazachstania exigua or a Candida variety. The mixture of wheat germ,yeast and water is continuously stirred without any additional aerationat 25°−40° C., optimally for 8-10 hours. After the fermentation iscompleted, the insoluble parts of the starting materials are separatedwith 5-15 micron filtration. The filtered water solution is concentratedby distillation at 40° C. to 20-30% mass-to-volume

Following the completion of the concentration process an amount oforganic solvent—for example ethyl-acetate—equal to the amount ofconcentrate is added to the concentrate. Stir them gently for 15-30minutes. Use a centrifuge to separate the two phases.

After separating the organic, less dense layer—which should be about 50%of the total volume—remove the organic layer and place the organic layerin a dryer or reaction vessel. Heat at no more than 40° C. until all ofthe liquid is removed.

For industrial purposes, the following method is preferred. Thepurification process steps (prior to vacuum evaporation), starting withcompleted (whole) fermentation broth, are as follows:

-   -   1. Whole/final broth is fed to a vibrating sieve (80-mesh        screen) to remove the bulk of the wheat germ grains. The        overflow is directed to a screw press containing 2 additional        screens to further dewater the waste solids and perhaps permit        recycle of pressed broth for possible increased actives yield.    -   2. The sieved broth is fed to a stacked-disk centrifuge to        further remove insoluble solids and the majority of the yeast.        The clarified broth (a/k/a supernatant) is prepared for the next        filtration step.    -   3. The filter press, consisting of fifty (50) 30″×30″ plates and        frames, is prepared by installing individual filter paper        between each plate and frame after which the plates/frame/paper        are hydraulically compressed. Other filtration technology could        be used here such as a pressure-leaf filter or a basket        centrifuge. Approximately 200 liters of water and 50 lbs. of        filter aid (Celite or Celatom) of a grade range (e.g., Celatom's        FP-4) are mixed/slurried for a pre-coat and fed to the filter        press to establish an initial filter cake bed.    -   4. Filter aid is also added (as a body feed) and mixed with the        centrifuged supernatant broth at a dosage of 0.5-1.5% by weight.        The slurried mixture is fed to the pre-coated filter press to        remove the majority of insoluble solids.    -   5. The filter press filtrate is polished-filtered using a        1.0-micron filter cartridge(s) and a 0.22- or 0.45-micron filter        cartridge(s) to significantly reduce the bioburden prior to        vacuum evaporation.

We claim:
 1. A method for producing gluten-free grain concentrate foodcomprising three processes with the steps of: (A) a fermentation processcomprising: a) heating 400 gallons of filtered water to a temperature of25 C; b) adding said water to a vessel containing 100 lbs of crumbledbaker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae); c) mixing said yeast water mixconstantly for an hour; d) adding 1,000 lbs of raw wheat germ to saidyeast water mix; e) mixing said wheat germ yeast water mix for 8 to 24hours allowing temperature to raise to a temperature of not more than 46C; (B) an active-ingredient extraction process comprising: f) decantingsaid wheat germ yeast water mix through a liquid-solid separator with a100 to 150-micron screen into a stacked disc centrifuge; g) operatingsaid stacked disc centrifuge to remove at least 75% of the yeast fromsaid low wheat germ liquid forming a low yeast liquid; h) transferringsaid low yeast liquid to a plate and frame filtration device with filterplates having one to five-micron openings; i) operating said plate andframe filtration device to produce clarified broth no more than 7%solids; j) transferring said broth to a vacuum evaporator; k) operatingsaid vacuum evaporator to remove water from said broth producing aconcentrated both which has no less than 28% dissolved solids; l)transferring said concentrated broth to a second centrifuge; m)operating said second centrifuge to remove remaining suspended solidsforming a clarified broth; n) transferring said clarified broth solid ata rate of approximately 17 gallons per hour to a third vessel containingsufficient ethyl acetate to remove at least 99.4% of gluten from saidclarified broth forming an ethyl acetate liquid layer and a water layer;o) decanting said ethyl acetate liquid layer from said third vessel intoa fourth vessel; p) evaporating said ethyl acetate liquid in said fourthvessel forming concentrated ethyl acetate liquid which contain at least6% solids; q) mixing equal amounts of microcrystalline cellulose andhydroxypropyl methylcellulose in sufficient quantities, forming acellulose mix which has a volume of nine times the volume of saidconcentrated ethyl acetate liquid; r) adding said cellulose mix to saidconcentrated ethyl acetate liquid in said fourth vessel forming a finalmix; (C) a liquid-to-solid transformation process comprising: s) testingsaid final mix for a characteristics set comprising: (i) a red color,(ii) a thick liquid appearance, (iii) an acidic odor, (iv)tastelessness, (v) a density of 1.07 grams per cubic centimeter(gm/cm³), (vi) a pH<1, and (vii) a 0.0 part per million (ppm)concentration of said gluten, t) adding one liter of ethyl acetate overapproximately three hours, and repeating steps (n) through (r) untilsaid characteristics set is achieved; u) pouring said final mix into avacuum paddle dryer; v) setting said vacuum paddle dryer to operate witha vacuum of 26 inches to 28 inches of mercury, a temperature of 30 C-60C and a 3-60 rpm drum rotation speed; w) operating said vacuum paddledryer for up to 24 hours using said vacuum, heat and drum rotation speedsetting forming a stable dry powder wherein said three processes requireabout 72 hours continuously, said 72 hours being comprised ofapproximately 24 hours of said fermentation process, 24 hours of saidactive-ingredient extraction process, and approximately 24 hours ofdrying said liquid-to-solid transformation process.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said drum rotation speed is increased to 61-120rotations per minute (RPM).
 3. A gluten-free grain concentratesubstitute for fermented wheat germ food product, comprising2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; monomethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone;monomethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone, and at least one of microcrystallinecellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; and having 0.00 ppm of saidgluten, produced using the method of claim 1.